GUTS CHARITY TOURNAMENT AND VILLAGE BARBECUE

Sunday 18th September 2011

(Back row) Professor Chris Marks (GUTS Patron), Iain Jourdan (GUTS Chairman), Professor Tim Rockall (GUTS Trustee)
(Front row) Tim Seymour, Lynn Faulds Wood, Councillor Terence Patrick, Benedict Moore

The rain kept away and Worplesdon Tennis Club took on a carnival atmosphere with bunting, tombola and bouncy castle as 36 players arrived early to participate in another GUTS charity tennis tournament followed by curry lunch and a BBQ, together with plenty of Pimms, for local residents, family and friends.

GUTS is a local charity based at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.  Its aims are the prevention and early detection of large bowel cancer.  Professor Christopher Marks, whom we especially welcomed as Patron of GUTS, started the charity in 1983. We also welcomed Iain Jourdan (Chairman) and Professor Tim Rockall (Trustee), both of whom are renowned laparascopic surgeons at the Hospital.

GUTS offers screening via local GP practices and runs a Cancer Family Clinic which is linked to St George's Genetics Unit in London.  The role of molecular genetics is expanding rapidly and GUTS supports a research pathologist as well as two clinical nurse specialists.  All the money raised at the tennis tournament is going towards a Magnetic Guided Colonoscope for use within the Endoscopy Unit.  It assists in training doctors to perform colonoscopy used for detecting bowel cancers or polyps.  GUTS is proud to be associated with the National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme that is based by the hospital and for which the Endoscopy Unit is an accredited screening centre.

In addition to Chris Marks, we were delighted to welcome Councillor Terence Patrick, Mayor of Guildford, accompanied by his wife, and Lynn Faulds Wood.  Lynn travelled down from London especially to be with us as she herself, while presenter of Watchdog, was diagnosed with bowel cancer.  Since then, she has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the symptoms and treatment of bowel cancer nationally through both her charities and the media.  We were delighted to see her and hear about her experience.

We were most grateful to Ewbank Clarke Gammon Wellers, St James' Place Foundation and Fairfax Country Houses, who were our main sponsors.

Many thanks also to Manny from Asperion Hotel who provided the delicious curries, to Fulks for the sausages and burgers, Christmas' bakery for the treacle tarts and the many members who made salads.  

Numerous other individual donors and local businesses donated prizes or food items, placed advertisements or contributed in other ways to support the event, and we are very grateful to them all.  We should also like to thank the Parish Council, G Live and church magazines for advertising the event free of charge, and for the support of the Surrey Advertiser, whose photographer came along.

Congratulations to Tim Seymour and Benedict Moore the winners of the Large Bowel and Small Bowel Teams, and to Paula Stitch and Graham Foote, runners-up.

With a trip on a yacht on the Solent, a tour of the BBC newsroom with Nick Higham and many other items, we were grateful to John Snape, auctioneer for offering his services.

More than £6000 has been raised for GUTS so far! Incredible amount and well done Worplesdon Tennis Club!